This piece (as well another one) were themed around another comic I'm still reading. but due to the lack of connections this one and the other turned into random bits typed around a post OB* world. This one I made was practice on character to character Dialog, as well testing out how an antique rifle can be effective in combat with obviously the right amount of practice and muscle memory. Things might be a little dull or lacking but it was just a practice bit. Also, this became an attempt in creating realistic weapon function, recoil, etc.

“Jesus, when are you going to get rid of that damn thing?” a survivor asked another as he glanced up from the map of the city. “When are you going to quit using that glock?” the other man replied as he added long bullets to the bandoleer that was strapped across his torso over his coat, he then took the last round of the brick and slid it into the open breach of his rifle then closed the trap door lid. With a distinctive click, he carefully rested the hammer of the rifle. “Are you ever going to learn that nine mill is only for people not those shufflers out there?” The man asked as he leaned against the counter, he dug into his coat pocket to pull up a pack of camels.

“yeah, yeah, and your grandpa rifle isn’t over kill either…” the first survivor grumbled as she scanned the map again, “There’s that super market about a few blocks from here, ya know the wal-mart wannabe?” she then folded the map as neatly as she could to packet it away in her book bag, “yeah I know the place, I wouldn’t forget the place where the dick of a co-manager tried to over charge me on a brick of two-twenty-three and some groceries a month or so ago.” the man chimed all-not-so-enthused as he stuck a 100 long into his lips then lit it with a Zippo lighter.

Clapping the lighter shut, “I understand the need for a tester but can’t we just bust down that seven-eleven a few blocks back for one?” he questioned, with a little hint of annoyance in his voice, as he puffed the cigarette, “I trust Omni mart better than a immigrant run seven-eleven thank you very much!” the man simply puffed before speaking agian, “Uh-huh, and I guess you take the “where value lives” part of the sign seriously…don’t you?”“oh shut the fuck up Grant.” the girl snapped before giving a playful punch to his arm, “and Aren’t you being a little harsh on the guys that work at the seven-eleven? Their just out-a-country stiffs tryin’ to make a buck that’s all.” Grant replaced the 100 back in his lips, “and you need to get real as those are the same fuckers that tried to rob us before you flashed that antique at him.”“Hey-” Grant pointed a finger at her, “-Pavlo remembers my trapdoor during a hunting trip so they where smart booking it after seeing it shoot once, so forgive-n-forget those bastards alright Samantha dear?” He then looked back at the entrance of the gun shop as Samantha closed the bag, “DON’T CALL ME SAMANTHA!!” she snapped stomping a foot.

“You know how much I hate my full name!” Grant chuckled as he witnessed her little brat display, “Whatever Sam.” he smirked as he stood up, slung the trapdoor over his shoulder and walked towards the front counter, “Now hurry up and collect your pussy nine mil so we can get goin’.” he spoke over his shoulder, “The longer ye take your time the more closer that pesky bandit’s, “ambush“, would’ve been successful.” Grant spoke over his shoulder as he emphasized “ambush” with finger quote marks. “I thought we went over this! Don’t talk about that!!” Sam growled as she vaulted over the counter, she pulled a brick of nine millimeter, she dug into her belt pouches, pulled up several empty magazines to your Glock and laid them on the counter.

As she thought to her self aloud under her breath in grumbles, Grant watched the front doors as he took a seat at the front register counter, the carbine laying across his lap. He finished his camel then snuffed it in the penny pan next to the register. “You saying somethin’?” he asked aloud with a smirk as he herd a annoyed sigh, “NO!” Sam roared as she glared across the room to Grant before going back to loading the mags.

“Alright, just checking.” he chuckled lightly as he had fun picking on her. Even though he was just a traveler in this city, he wanted to always help people out, doing his part before moving on; Samantha on the other hand was an exception, she was weak on her own with little knowledge on survival and when he had saved her from that bunch of street bandits, as he called them, she was in the bed of their half-ton bare ass naked. He some how knew that she’ll be stuck to him for the rest of this apocalypse, even if they where being a pain in the ass to one another.

A short time went by as the low clicks of bullets going into the plastic/metal magazines turned into a rhythmic tone to Grant’s ears as he leaned back in the chair, pitching his feet up on the counter. “Just a thought Sam, you might want to take a gander of what’s left of the store’s merchandise, might be a good idea to be ready incase the Omni folks aren’t friendly to outsiders.” Grant suggested as he looked over to the burnet putting the mags away into their pouches. “Right, but I doubt it.” the young woman replied as she turned to examine the racks, she knew better than to listen to the cocky bastard, but she still remembers the bandits as they fooled her with friendly smiles, the event still makes her shudder.

On a conscious awkward level, she trusted Grant’s judgment. Grant looked on at the racks from where he sat, “Maybe that mossy might do the thing.” he said looking at the woodland camouflage shotgun that leaned in it’s rack. “uck don’t like the camo on it.” Sam spoke touching the gun first, “then pick something else.” Grant added before he herd a metal thump against a car outside.

Snapping his head around, he looked on to see that a shuffler had bumped into the car, he then saw another run into the glass of the large store windows, “uh…Sam, might want to hurry up with that.”“Why?”“Because we got company.” he stood up from the chair and brought the Springfield’s stock to his shoulder, “How many?” Sam asked as she quickly grabbed a over/under and a box of shot shells. “about five at the moment.” Grant replied as he watched three others come to the windows.

Pale hands started banging on the glass, “Crap….You got a good idea Sammy!” Grant vaulted over the register counter as he herd a crack from the glass. “Think there’s going to be more?” she asked as she slid in two target loads into the open breach. “Wouldn’t doubt that once the shooting starts.” Grant answered as he hurried over to the gun counter. He brought the carbine to half cock while bringing the stock back to his shoulder again.Closing the bird gun Sam mimicked the stock-to-shoulder stance as she too watched the infected pound on the glass. What seemed like minuets was seconds as the glass gave way to the zombie’s knocking. Rising up, “Weapons free!” Grant ordered before fully cocking the carbine before firing, the crack of the 45-70 morphed into a thunderous roar thanks to the acoustics of the small shop; an infected stumbled backwards before falling to the sudden slam of bullet into it‘s head. Flinching by the invisible wind of the muzzle blast, Sam quickly recovered by bringing the bird gun up and fired one barrel at another infected. The dry bloody stained shirt of the zombie shivered as bbs tore into it.

Grant cocked the rifle again then flipped the small lever then opened the trap door of his rifle, the spent shell spat out and flew over his shoulder as he leaned his head to the side; pulling a fresh round from the bandoleer, he loaded the round in before closing the trapdoor. With a click, he brought the rifle up then fired again, and reloaded with practiced speed. “Grab something different if you can’t shoot so fast!” Sam yelled over the blasting of both guns, “Shut up and keep shooting-” Grant let loose another heavy round into a luckless zombie as it pitched sideways onto the floor, “-It’s just a matter of muscle memory!” he opened the breach and loaded another round, closed then fired again.

Sam turned the top lever to open the breech, she flipped the gun over, gave it a slight jerk, then spent shells tumbled out. After flinching again to the big bore going off next to her, “I think that was more than six!” she spoke closing the action after two shells where in. “Yep, here comes more.” Grant then pulled several rounds from the ammo belt and held them in between his fingers. “This is going to get messy, so keep that Plastic toy ready.” he spoke before firing. “It isn’t a toy!” she corrected half annoyed, “it’s a gun too!”“Whatever just shoot!” Grant snapped as he flipped the trapdoor open, he dropped a bullet in then pushed it home before closing the trapdoor, a zombie fell forward into a coat rack with a clatter.

As Grant fired, Sam held the bird gun from the hip (resting on the counter top) then pulled both triggers, the shotgun roared as two zombies where knocked backwards, knocking a third down with them. It was Grant’s turn to flinch, “Christ!” he recoiled as Sam was knocked into the shelves behind her from the recoil, “The fuck you where thinking?!” He glanced down as Sam scrambled to get to her feet, “Just clearing the way that’s all.” Sam admitted as she started reloading again.

Grant let another round off at a zombie that spun around by the bullet’s impact, knocking untouched items fall from their shelves. As they both saw five more shuffle in to replace the already seven killed. “I think we should find an exit out of this madness.” Grant suggested, “oh gee ya think so?!” Sam looked to Grant before they both raised guns and fired into the zeds as they moved closer to their position behind the counter. After firing one more shot, Grant slung the Springfield before filling both hands with a handgun, “Sam, you check behind those doors-” he gestured with a nod behind them to a set of double swing doors, “-maybe the service doors aren’t blocked by these things.”

Sam only looked at Grant before letting both barrels off into a zombie. As more infected trickled in, “Grant…you can’t be serious.”“Come on sweetie, I’ve got them covered, you just go find us an exit and I’ll hold’em off.” Sam looked at the zeds then at grant one more time before nodding, “Alright, be careful!” she commanded before ditching the bird gun on the counter before turning to hurry to the doors, “Always!” Grant called after her before he raised both pistols and started shooting at the zeds, .45 rounds tore into and around the zombies as they began to slowly pour into the establishment. As both slides locked back, Grant flipped one closed and returned it to it’s holster and then pressed the release on the other.

Putting another clip in he took aim with both hands and started taking better aimed shots. The pistol barked as rounds found their targets: one infected crumbled as the back of it’s skull sprayed into the face of another, another infected simply fell forward before trying to get up. “Sam! Hurry! These Rotters are getting close!” he roared as he reloaded, looked on as the infected where inching closer to the counter.

Suddenly the double doors opened again, “Grant, found a door! Come on, come on!!” Sam almost shrieked as she saw that they where far too many to be coming into the place. “Got it!” Grant then grabbed the trapdoor, turned on heel and ran for the doors. They both then ran for the door she opened before coming back. Grant turned to fire two more rounds into some that fallowed them, no kill shots though.

“Come on!” Sam urged tugging on the sleeve of Grant’s coat, Grant turned and kept walking along with Sam as they both exited onto a back street behind the store. Slamming the door, Grant returned the pistol to it’s holster then started reloading the trapdoor, “Anywhere else?”“Yeah, spotted a ladder over there.” she pointed up the street to the back of another building with a fire escape ladder still intact. They both jumped and stepped back as the infected started pounding at the door, “Lets go!” And they both ran towards the ladder.

Half way, the door fell open behind them, letting a small flood of zombies pour into the street. “Run faster!!” Grant shouted as they both picked up their pace as best they could. As they reached the ladder, Sam was the first to grab onto it and started climbing. While Grant turned and started shooting. He fired, reloaded and fired again, covering her as she got onto the roof.

“Grant! Come on!!” she begged, Grant turned, grabbed the ladder and started climbing up, as he looked up, he could see the dread in the twenty-year-olds face as he climbed up. As he got closer to the top, a hand gripped his boot, “shit!” he felt himself slip, “Grant!” He herd her shout, “Let go of me!” Grant barked as he kicked the zombie free from him. Solid thud and Grant got onto the roof. As he pulled himself over the edge, he rolled onto his back first then propped himself against the wall.

“You okay?” Sam asked kneeling down beside him, “Yeah, just got a hand print on the boot, no scratch.”“Thank god.” she sat beside him, “Why, you worried about me?” He asked looking faintly smug as their heavy breathing started to settle. “Me?!” she looked at him with a faint tint of red in her cheeks, “Oh hell no I wasn’t! The last thing I wanted you to be is pulled back into those things.”“Uh-huh…so you where.”“No I wasn’t!” She snapped sharply, Grant chuckled as she argued with him, she then looked down as he took the brife banter funny. she then leaned her head back as she realized how hilarious she was acting then, she then started to feel her self chuckling along with him.

They both joined together laughter as zombies groans and moans came from below them. "So are we still going?" she asked finally, "Yeah...but this is going to be one hell of a trip for just one test." he looked at her then they both laughed again at the thought wading through a horde of zombies for just one pregnancy test, "Might as well pick up some BC while we're at it." he added before relaxing finally, "For starters we should find a way to go to another roof encase they decide to-" Sam suddenly hugged him, "what the?""So glad you made it." she spoke quietly as she closed her eyes.

"uhh, I was right behind you the hole time, I didn't go far." he then felt the need to complete the embrace by putting an arm around her. It felt weird, though she was two years younger than he was, that she was showing her soft side to him out of the blue.

after a minuet of the embrace, the two let go, "I think there should be a way off the roof." Sam said finally, a red tint still coating her cheeks. "Well, alright then..." Grant got up, she fallowed suit, "shall we then? and...don't be so sudden like that again, it almost scares me when you do it."

Sam simply smirked as she walked by him, "Whatever you say tough guy."________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________EDIT!!To get a better idea on how it is like to speed reload this rifle heres and example,